the lady and the tiger and the ending and beyond
by aryssangelgirl
Summary: the consequences of one action, the life of guilt and regret, all must be resolved, with nothing but peace left


Her father, the King of Eutopia, had declared a trial, a trial of utmost chance. He had caught a young man, a man from his courts, with his daughter. As punishment, he declared that the young man would have to go to the stadium and pick one of the two doors that were there. But these doors weren't just any doors, one door held a young maiden in which the man would marry, and the other held a dragon and eternal suffering. But there was a way out of this predicament. The princess, the man's lover, knew which door held a maiden and which door held the dragon and eternal suffering. She was to point to the door that the man would open. It seems almost too simple for the man to escape free, but he did not know that this woman, his love, had second thoughts. It was the night before the day of her lover's trial and she knew she had to make a choice. Would she send her lover to a most cruel and painful death? Or save him from that and make him live with a woman that he did not love? Or worst yet, a woman that he would come to love? It had come to the morning of the trial and she had come to her decision. The second she moved her hand to the right she regretted it. Her mind screamed with anguish, though her face seemed calm. Inside her heart ripped in two, and questions filled her mind. Why must this always happen to me? Haven't I suffered enough? Why does this always happen? I just found the one I loved. why must I let him go? I love him! He can't die! He can't.. As she sunk to her knees, she broke down and cried. She could remember every little detail about him. She remembered all the little walks under the moonlit sky, the sweet words of love he whispered to her, his soft low voice, the surprise and joy of returned love, the warmth of his hand next to hers, the tender touch of his hand wiping away her tears. She longed for him now, but knowing he was long gone and she, his executioner, she felt the familiar feeling of guilt and remorse. How could I? I should of let him live. He trusted me. And I.. I betrayed him. Several months had passed since her father's death. Several months had also passed since the eve of her lover's death. Yet she still couldn't leave behind the remorse and sorrow. One night however, she had an awful dream. Her deceased lover, Chris had come to her in her dreams. "Christina, You have betrayed me. After all we had, you betrayed me.." said Chris. "Sweetie, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. You are right, I did betray you.. Please forgive me.." replied Christina with full repentance. "Dear, there's only one thing you can do for me now. Do you still have my sword? The sword that I named Gwang Tae?" he asked eagerly. "Everything you had, all your valuables, it was all taken by robbers, I couldn't save anything," she replied apologetically. "Damn, I can't go into the underworld and sleep in peace; the goddess Aryss denies me entrance until I give back the sword that she has lent me. You're going to have to come with me to go find it.. Will you come with me my love? It is a road full of many dangers, but I, being merely a spirit cannot do it without you.. Please, do this for me.." Chris asked pleadingly. "I. I will. I still love you.." she whispered in a shaking voice. Suddenly, she awoke and finding herself alone in her room, she crawled up in a ball and cried. A moment later, she felt familiar arms around her and a voice whispered in her ear, "Love, that dream you had, it is real. I am back, but I still need your help. Will you help me dear Sweet, dear Heart?" "Anything for you Chris, anything for you love," she whispered back to him. She packed her bag, took some food, left a note with instructions on who should watch the kingdom while she was gone, and simply left. It would be the last anyone would ever see or hear from her for almost a year. The sun was shining through the trees and each splotch of sunlight was like a jewel for it sparkled beautifully in the dew on the grass lying on the ground below. Strangely though, there were no sounds and the rustling of Christina's feet disturbed the peaceful silence of the forest. "Chris, are we almost there?" whispered Christina, "How much further is it?" But all she heard was silence. She looked around bewildered, but saw nothing. Then all of a sudden a big burst of darkness surrounded her. The trees, the animals, the beautiful sun was all gone; in its place was only darkness. Followed by the darkness was a beautifully frightening voice. She knew that it must be Aryss, the goddess of death and sank to her knees in reverence. "Christina, you have come to where no one must go. I spare your life only so you may give me back my sword. You were a fool to say that you would help Chris, for you must know deep down inside that he will hurt you in the same manner that you have hurt him. Be careful of what you do, for it may have dire consequences, but I hope for your sake, that what I said was empty advice," she said cryptically, "However, when you regain consciousness, you'll be on your way in this journey and it will be too late to turn back. This journey will be a hard one because you'll have to disguise yourself as a man and a peasant. But I know you are strong enough to endure everything, and I am never wrong. I have dismissed you. BEGONE!" she yelled as a big burst of flame burst up behind her. She awoke suddenly and felt the pelting rain on her face and heard the roar of the wind. Her first thought was to panic, but then she realized what had happened. She looked around for a shelter, when all of a sudden; she noticed that she had on men's clothing. It was then when she knew that all that had happened was not a dream. She got up, and squatted underneath a grove of trees, and rethought everything. Just when she started to feel despair, a hand tapped her shoulder. "Sweetie, I'm still here remember?" said Chris comfortingly. She then smiled and answered, "Yes, I know you are here my love," then her voice got serious, "What can we do? How can we find your sword?" "The goddess Aryss told me where it is. It's in the possession of the King of Thieves, and we are at the door of his home. All we have to do is walk in, steal the sword, and walk back out. Don't you worry my dear heart, the goddess has decreed that no harm shall come," he replied. She looked up and saw that there indeed was a door. Strangely enough however, the door had no handle, and the only thing there was an inscription. The inscription read 'This door is guarded by one invisible to us all, we all chase her in hopes that one day she'll be ours, but just when we think we have found her, she escapes our grasp again. Say her name and you may enter.' She looked at it confusedly and said to Chris, "What do you assume that is supposed to mean?" "Hmm. I would think that'd mean something like love?" he replied, but seeing that the door had not opened, he said, "What do you think it is?" "Well, I was thinking more along the lines of happiness," she said, but seeing that the door also did not open for her she let Chris try something. "Let's try. hope." "Hmm. that didn't work either. money?" "Well, some people keep their money, let's see if youth would work." "No, that didn't seem to work. maybe its another variation of money. would it be wealth?" "No, no, no, I would think it would be goals." "OH I KNOW! It's DREAMS! DREAMS!" she yelled triumphantly and the door slowly started to open. "Yes! We did it!" Chris yelled and they both ran in through the door. Beyond the door, everything was dark and dank. The smell of old mold and dirty clothes filled the air. Christina scrunched up her nose in disgust but kept walking while Chris led the way. The flickering of lights from the torches on the walls of the dank labyrinth made the tunnel seem longer, but they kept walking. After what seemed like hours and hours of putting one heavy foot in front of another, they discovered that the path was starting to get wider and friendlier. They had gotten to the end of the path and were now entering the lair of the King of Thieves. "I feel so uneasy, no one's tried to stop us, and the whole entire time, it was quiet," said Chris in a nervous way. "I'm sure that everything will be alright," she said giving him a reassuring smile, "There's nothing much to worry about, remember what the goddess said?" "True, but I can't help but question her, she IS the goddess of death after all," he mumbled under his breath. Before Christina could answer back, she heard a gasp from Chris. "What is it Chris?" she asked worriedly and looked to where he was looking. To their surprise, right in front of them was the King of Thieves. The lair was over run of thieves in the sidelines. They turned around and tried to see any means of escape. There were none. With a roar, the King of Thieves rushed at them with the sword of Gwang Tae. Chris pushed Christina out of the way and he was unaffected by the sword. Chris flew up, grabbed a sword from a thief from the sideline and threw it to Christina. She grabbed the sword and barely escaped Gwang Tae's razor sharp edge. The King brought the sword back up and was about to bring it down when Chris, without warning, he flew into Christina and became a part of her. They both moved, and blocked the sword with ease. Chris was guiding her movements and Christina was keeping the balance. They saw that the King of Thieves was getting tired. With a joyous cry, they lifted the sword up and brought it directly down. The whole room went quiet; the King of Thieves was dead. The thieves, seeing this, all grew frightened, for the King of Thieves was the strongest one of them all; he was a seasoned warrior. The only one that was stronger was Chris. Chris's sword, Gwang Tae was a prized possession for it was to bring victory to whoever was worthy of wielding it. And who was this girl that took the sword so easily from the King? How did she move so gracefully out of the way when they themselves could never do anything that coordinated? Is she possessed? As those thoughts ran through their heads, they became more panicked. They were now certain that she was indeed possessed and that the goddess Aryss would be waiting for them if they stayed any longer. They, being men, ran. They valued their lives more than all-else, including avenging the death of their deceased leader. Christina looked around for Chris and saw that he not there. The sword was gone, along with the thieves. She was by herself once again. She sank down to her knees and sobbed. "Christina, its ok, Chris is now safe with me. He will be able to rest in peace, he won't suffer any more.." said Aryss. "It is not ok! I've lost him again! I never got to say sorry to him, he's always been able to hold up his end of the bargain, but I never get to return the favor!" she yelled, angrily sobbing out the words. "You silly infantile girl! Love is not repayable! He loves you! He has always loved you! Did he not prove it when he saved you multiple times? Did he not help you through your doubts?!" Aryss yelled back. "I'm sorry my goddess. but please try and understand me. I have lost him again. I have lost my love again. Please, Aryss, take me with you. Take me with you so I may see him again, so that I may hold him once more, so that I may kiss his lips, and so that I too may sleep in peace next to him," she whispered with her grief seeping into each word she said. "Poor, poor, child. he is beyond your grasp. I will not allow you to leave your life now; you must direct your kingdom into a large empire. But one day, you will be next to him. He does forgive you my child, you must now forgive yourself.." Aryss told her, "and when you wake again, you will be back at home. Your people will have grown stronger and many. In the name of the one who rules us all, you are blessed. Now take your blessing and prosper. Your time will come one day Christina. You will be united with him once again," said the goddess soothingly, and slowly disappeared. "Thank you Aryss, thank you." said Christina, and fell into a gentle deep sleep. She awoke the next morning and found herself in her bed. Her serving woman came into her room and gasped, "My queen! You are back! We have missed you! Your kingdom is fairing wonderfully and everything is in good order," she exclaimed happily, but paused and asked, "if I may ask. where have you been Queen Christina? You are well I hope?" "Ah. I am well; I just had to finish some unfinished business. You have no need to worry about me. If you'll just put down that tray and leave it would be nice. I won't need anything more today. Please send for my regent, I would like to know how the kingdom has been in more detail. Thank you," she replied in a cordial voice. "As you will. Have a good day my Queen," the serving woman said with a smile on her face. The serving woman left Christina to her room and quietly closed the door. Christina being alone looked outside her window and watched the sun rise. As each ray rose above the horizon and shined in through the window, she felt as if Chris himself was brushing his warm hand on her face. 


End file.
